Whenever you select carpet, you have to consider many
aesthetic as well as technical areas. With well over
a hundred thousands styles and colors being released
every year, selecting the right carpet to match your
needs can be a very challenging task indeed.
Carpet is available in several different textures,
constructions, colors, and designs - which will open
the doors to virtually any interior design that you
can imagine. The combination of texture and color
will complement the look of both formal and casual
environments, while helping to bring continuity to
the overall room designs.
The most important thing to consider when you shop
for carpet is the amount of traffic that will be
on the carpet that is going to be installed as well
as the area you hope to use it in. The construction
and the texture are both key aspects when you
select a carpet for a specified area and use.
Nylon, polyester, and olefin are the most widely
used fibers with carpet manufacturing, with each
one displaying qualities that make themselves great
with specific applications and uses. Even though
nylon is the most expensive type of fiber, it is
also the softest and most resilient, which makes
it great for any room in your home, including those
areas that have a high level of traffic.
Polyester fabric is less resilient than nylon,
although it more cost efficient and offers a
high level of resistance to stains, which makes it
a great choice for areas such as bedrooms or dining
rooms that are not subject to a lot of traffic.
The fiber olefin is solution dyed, which results
in a highly resistant stain carpet that can be
cleaned easily using a water and beach solution -
without any loss to the color.
Unlike the other types of fibers, olefin is fade,
mildew, and mold resistant, which results in a
carpet that performs well indoors and outdoors.
Keep in mind however, that olefin isn't very
resilient and as a result, it should only be
considered with Berber construction.
You can get carpets in either plush or Berber
construction. The Berber type of carpets are well
constructed with a continuous level loop, while
plush carpets are constructed of loops that have
been sheared, which results in the strands standing
upright.
Berber construction carpets don't crush or matt,
due to their high level loops. They are however
harder underfoot, uncomfortable to sit on or lay
down on, and they can easily become damaged by
pets with long nails. Berber carpets are well
suited for high traffic areas, which include walk
ways, living rooms, and entrance areas. They aren't
popular with bedrooms, as their hard texture makes
them a less than attractive option.
The plush type carpets are much softer to walk or
lay on and they offer better sound and thermal
insulation. They tend to crush and matt though
when they are subjected to high levels of foot
traffic.
The use of nylon fiber paired with a tight low pile
construction will help to limit the amount of pile
and matt crushing, due to the high resilient nature
of the nylon fiber and the added support that is
gained from tight construction.
The warranties for carpet ranges from 5 - 30 years,
with the general rule being that you don't cover
the stairs. Most carpet warranties will require
the installation of new carpet padding as well at
the time of installation in order for the warranty
to become valid. Read manufacture warranty and conditions carefully.
By John M. BetanCourt
Kani Development Inc., Copyrights 2007 All rights reserved.
FreshX Selective Cleaning Teams has been cleaning carpets efficiently since 1974. Our steam cleaning technique is proven to get the toughest of stains out. As always, FreshX guarantees their work for our customers. For more information, please call us toll-free at (800) 373-7491. One of the biggest concerns we hear about freshly cleaned carpets is: What's the best way to keep cleaned carpets from re-soiling too quickly? Here are a few reasons why premature re-soiling occurs after carpet cleaning, and things you can do to prevent it.
Years ago, most carpet cleaning was done using “soaps” as the cleaning agent. Although most of the foam from these soaps was scooped up or extracted during the cleaning process, an unnoticeable film or residue could easily be left behind in the carpet. It acted like a dirt “magnet”, causing the clean carpet to re-soil faster than before it was cleaned.
Today’s professional cleaning and rinsing solutions are dramatically improved and much safer on both natural and synthetic carpets. New low residue cleaning agents and rinsing agents can eliminate this problem.
Walking onto a newly cleaned carpet with dirty shoes (or allowing your pets to do the same) can deposit dirt and stains on the carpet. Even “dry” cleaning methods leave some moisture in the carpet. This moisture can loosen soil from the bottoms of shoes (and paws) and allow it to be wiped off onto the carpet.
Reflected light off of scratched carpet fibers can make a carpet look dirty even when it isn’t. The “tufts” of most carpets are made from twisted masses of plastic (nylon, polyester, olefin) fibers. Tracked in soil actually scratches the fibers as you walk on the carpet -- a lot like rubbing a pair of eyeglasses with sandpaper. When the carpet is cleaned, the soil is removed, but the light continues to be refracted through scratched fibers. This can give your carpet a “dingy” look.
